My transient life is a short journey and impermanent.
Be Compassionate. Be Grateful. Be Humble. Be Loving.
Enjoy my moment and smile when it is time to say goodbye.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Rain - Korean SuperStar

I have never heard a song or watched a movie by Rain. In fact, I am never a fan of Japanese Pop or Korean Pop culture, but i know that Rain is very popular. Last night, I was about to sleep and I saw this documentary on the Discovery Channel about Rain - it was so interesting and touching that I was glued to it.

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Below are the highlights of the 1hour long documentary:

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I was really inspired by Rain.... He was living in poverty - being hungry, slept on the street, rejected by many companies. Yet, he did not give up, and with his talent and really really HARDWORK, he realised his dream to become a superstar. That is SHEER determination and hardwork.

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There was one story shared by his producer that was really sad:
This happened while Rain was preparing his first album. One day, Rain approached his producer for help - Rain's mother was sick. The producer drove Rain back home and found his mother who was suffering from Diabetes sleeping on the cold floor of a small apartment in winter. There was no heating facilities!!! The producer was so mad at Rain for not sharing his problem. The producer drove Rain's mother to the biggest hospital in Seoul for treatment. Unfortunately, Rain's mother passed away before his first album was released.
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Source: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1955294/bio
During Rain's time as a trainee, his family was living in poverty and his mother was becoming increasingly ill due to lack of money for medicine. Rain drove himself hard in order to prove himself ready to make his debut, but did not achieve success in time to save her life. She died from complications of diabetes a year before his debut. This event had a huge impact on Rain. He has said in interviews that he regrets having had conflict with her over skipping school to go to dance practice, and that he believes she is in heaven where she can see him. He says that a major motivation in his life is to make her proud and he still visits her grave before embarking on each new project.
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After this documentary, I see Rain as more than an entertainer - He is an inspiration for many young people from disadvantaged background.
RESPECT!!!